Aerospace Engineering Reading Material for a Newbie

[PraAnan]

In the future I would really like to enroll in an aerospace engineering course and I was wondering if there are any good books out there which cover the important parts of this discipline?

I came across the following page which contains some of the topics that will be taught in university (at least at this particular one) http://www.herts.ac.uk/courses/Aerospace-Engineering-BEng_structure.cfm
Are there books which cover the whole range? I don't need them to go into full detail.

I'd like to buy a maximum of 3 books so advice is welcome.

There also seems to be a lot of new online courses as well as lecture videos, so are there any good aerospace ones available?

 

[pious&peevish]

This one is quite comprehensive and gives a very general overview: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Space_Transport_and_Engineering_Methods

It can also be downloaded as a PDF.

 

[jhae2.718]

Anderson's Introduction to Flight is a common text used for introductory aerospace engineering courses, and give a brief overview of the major disciplines.

 

[PraAnan]

Anderson's Introduction to Flight is a common text used for introductory aerospace engineering courses, and give a brief overview of the major disciplines.

Thanks for letting me know about this book, a lot of people give it good reviews. I'll definitely be buying this.

 

[Aero_UoP]

Fundamentals of Aerodynamics - Anderson
Elements of Propulsion; Gas Turbines and Rockets - Mattingly
Aircraft Engine Design - Mattingly, Heiser, Pratt
Aircraft Performance and Design - Anderson
Aircraft Structures for Engineering Students - Megson

 

[Danger]

This might sound a little odd. I'm writing from the perspective of a (now grounded) pilot with no formal education. Reading a lot of "Private Pilot", "Plane and Pilot" or similar magazines might help because it will give you a user's-eye view of how things work. If you can afford it, even take a couple of introductory flight lessons. That's how I started: $5.00 and a coupon from the magazine got me my first half hour lesson.
Learning to fly involves a lot of the details of what keeps an iron bird in the air.

 

[jhae2.718]

This might sound a little odd. I'm writing from the perspective of a (now grounded) pilot with no formal education. Reading a lot of "Private Pilot", "Plane and Pilot" or similar magazines might help because it will give you a user's-eye view of how things work. If you can afford it, even take a couple of introductory flight lessons. That's how I started: $5.00 and a coupon from the magazine got me my first half hour lesson.
Learning to fly involves a lot of the details of what keeps an iron bird in the air.

"Stick goes forward, houses get bigger. Stick goes back, houses get smaller."?

 

[Danger]

"Stick goes forward, houses get bigger. Stick goes back, houses get smaller."?

Well it's actually more of "stick controls speed; throttle controls altitude".
Unless back with the Sopwiths, when it was "pull the stick back to go up; pull it back some more to come down."

 

[AIR&SPACE]

Well it's actually more of "stick controls speed; throttle controls altitude".
Unless back with the Sopwiths, when it was "pull the stick back to go up; pull it back some more to come down."

I've always wanted to know, what tastes better: Brontosaurus flank steak or Woolly Mammoth baby back ribs?

 

[Danger]

I've always wanted to know, what tastes better: Brontosaurus flank steak or Woolly Mammoth baby back ribs?

The flank steak, for sure; tastes like chicken. On the other hand, the ribs come with built-in dental floss.